Here you will find items which the Center offers in exchange for donations. The Center is actively looking for more items to offer. We are also happy to host fund-raising events provided they are in keeping with the Center's mission. If you have any recommendations please don't hesitate to contact the Center.

With Professor Garfield's kind permission the Center recorded the lectures and has now made them available on CD. So if you were not able to attend the retreat, here is your chance to be in the presence of one of today's most widely recognized Buddhist teachers and translators. And if you were there and heard the talks, now you can revisit them and continue to learn from Professor Garfield's deep and broad presentation.

The Center is asking for a donation of $25, plus $5 shipping and handling, to receive your copy of this set of disks. All proceeds go to cover the cost of duplication and to support the Center. You can click on the Click and Pledge link below and follow the simple instructions to make a secure payment with your credit card. You may also contact the Center directly by email or phone, or purchase your copy in person at the Center before or after scheduled sitting periods. Please note that these are MP3 CD's, which will play in most newer CD players, computers, automobile systems and MP3 players, but may not play on some older systems. Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.

Cover of the Boxed Set

From the Enclosed Booklet

In the spring of 2009 the North Carolina Zen Center was honored to host internationally recognized teacher, author and translator, Professor Jay L. Garfield.

Over the course of six days during the Spring Zazen-kai retreat Professor Garfield delivered a series of dynamic lectures which explored Buddhist thought from its beginnings through its most critical developments in India, known as the First, Second and Third Turnings of the Wheel of the Dharma. For each turning Professor Garfield examined one or two core sutras including the Heart and Diamond Sutras, and one Indian sastra, including works by Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, among others.

Throughout this series of lectures Professor Garfield demonstrates his grasp of the subtleties of the material and his ability to clarify difficult points within the texts, while presenting the material in an engaging and often humorous style.

In October of 2007 the North Carolina Zen Center had the singular honor of hosting internationally recognized Buddhist author and teacher Stephen Batchelor. Over the course of two days Batchelor spoke three times at the Center to those attending a Zen retreat, and once to the general public at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham, North Carolina.

The talks cover a range of topics but center around Batchelor's ongoing study of the earliest Buddhist sutras including those in which the Buddha discussed his own awakening and those in which he elucidated his core teachings, the Four Enobling Truths and the Eightfold Path.

These talks reveal Batchelor's deep understanding of Buddhist teaching and his broad knowledge of the roots of modern Buddhism. Moreover, they are delivered in Batchelor's gentle, thoughtful style, and are truly a joy to listen to.

Now, with Stephen Batchelor's kind permission, The North Carolina Zen Center is making these very special talks available to all. For a small donation of $25, plus $3 S&H, you will receive by mail an MP3 CD which includes all four talks.

All profits from the sale of these talks go directly to the support and maintenance of the North Carolina Zen Center.

To purchase these talks, please follow the Click & Pledge link to the right or contact the Center directly, either by phone at (919) 542-7411, email or regular mail. You can also get this set of talks for free as a Thank You for a donation of $75 or more. Just follow the link, enter the amount of your donation, then simply ask to receive your set of disks in the Comment Box provided on the page where you enter your credit card information. Delivery will be by US Postal Service.

Four Talks by Stephen Batchelor

A Series of Lectures on the Origins of Buddhism and its Relevance Today